PD secrets `saw their way into skip'

An internal investigation by the Progressive Democrats into how lists of secret payments came into the public domain has concluded that a box of files "saw its way into the skip" outside party headquarters.

After a five-day inquiry the party chairman, Senator John Dardis, said the most plausible explanation was that the files were placed in the skip. No-one at party headquarters is to be fired following the incident, in which the files appeared in the skip an hour-and-a-half after it arrived outside party headquarters in Dublin on the morning of December 5th.

The files detailed payments from donors between 1987 and 1992, including donations from well known businessmen, and were later published in newspapers.

Senator Dardis said that while he believed the documents were probably placed in the skip, "the possibility that the documents found their way into the public domain by some other route cannot be discounted."

He said a skip arrived outside party headquarters at South Frederick Street at 8 a.m. on Friday, December 5th, for a clear-out operation. The skip, which was filled by 9.30 a.m., was examined twice by party workers and nothing untoward came to their attention.

"There is no suggestion of malicious intent to place the material in a skip outside head office," Senator Dardis said. "The most plausible explanation is that the box saw its way into the skip but nobody saw it there".

He added that lessons had to be learned by the party from the incident. He had made recommendations on improved procedures, security and office administration.

The finding that the publication of the files was probably due to a mistake at party headquarters was reported to a meeting of the PD national executive last night. Afterwards, Senator Dardis again apologised, on behalf of the party, for the obvious embarrassment caused to the various donors.

The files showed donations to the party from a number of prominent figures and businesses. A £12,000 Smurfit Group payment drawn on a bank account in Jersey was recorded, along with a separate £30,000 donation from Smurfit Group Services. The files also detailed payments of £20,000 by Mr Larry Goodman in 1987.

Other contributors recorded included Mr Martin Naughton and Mr Lochlann Quinn of Glen Dimplex, Mr Neil McCann of Fyffes and Mr Mark Kavanagh of the Customs House Docks Development Company.